CT Charter Schools Association
FINAL Statement
August 26, 2022
New Haven, CT – Ruben Felipe, Executive Director of the Connecticut Charter Schools Association, (CTCSA) issued the following statement in response to the release of 2021-22 student assessment data by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE).
“Connecticut’s public charter schools helped thousands of Black and Brown students and students from low-income communities academically during the pandemic. Such results are even more impressive when taking into consideration the $713 million statewide funding gap that disproportionately impacts our most vulnerable students and perpetuates an inequitable public education system.
“Unfortunately, the new state assessment results reflect the painful impact of the pandemic on student learning as educational disparities that existed long before the pandemic are widening. While there are some bright spots in the data, overwhelmingly the pace of progress for our state’s students of color and students from low-income families is alarmingly slow.
“Students and families across the country have persevered over the last two years despite learning disruptions, a growing teacher shortage, inflation and violence in our schools. As we start a new school year, families don’t want to go back to a “normal” that never served them well to begin with.
“These assessments provide information for schools to better understand their students’ needs, and to empower charter school teachers to use new and creative approaches in the classroom to improve learning for all kids and pave a new path forward. Charter schools play a valuable role in the public education system and we’re prepared to ensure the individual needs of students are met in bold ways.
“CTCSA will continue to pursue avenues towards achieving funding for all of our state’s children, and support HB 5283 that would fund students based on their individual needs; shrink the state’s alarming racial and socio-economic education funding gaps by more than 53 percent (53%); and provide equitable funding to all students in traditional, magnet, charter, and vocational-agricultural schools.
“Working together with public schools of all types, elected leaders and our community partners, we can break down barriers that stand in the way of students accessing a just and equitable public education.”
About the Connecticut Charter Schools Association
The Connecticut Charter Schools Association is a nonprofit membership organization that serves as a unified voice for the 21 public charter schools, representing their interests at the state and local levels. To learn more, click here.